Introduction

Welcome to the interactive eLearning Platform "Conflict analysis, management and transformation: deconstructing Yemen's civil war"! 
 
This is the digital learning platform for the cross-site seminar of the Universities of Freiburg, Tübingen, Hamburg, Magdeburg, Marburg and Mainz. The seminar was taught jointly by six lecturers from these Universities (Dr. Friedrich Plank, Dr. Kerstin Zimmer, Tina Rosner-Merker, Dr. Gabi Schlag, Dr. Julia Gurol and Patricia Konrad) in cooperation with selected German and Yemeni experts (Dr. Marie-Christine Heinze, Dr. Khaled al-Akwa, Dr. Julian Bergmann, Hadil al-Mowafak, Prof. Dr. Susanne Buckley-Zistel and Dr. Abdulsalam al-Rubaidi). The aim of the seminar was not to just talk "about" Yemen, but rather to engage with Yemeni scholars as well as students from all of these different universities/disciplines in deconstructing the Yemeni civil war. In the following modules, this eLearning platform will present the findings of the seminar.
 
How to navigate this eLearning platform:

In the Theories and Concepts module, you will find an overview over different theories of conflict analysis and conflict management. The next module will introduce Actors and Dynamics involved in the Yemen conflict. The following six modules are all concerned with conflict drivers and will be focusing on the rural-urban divide, socio-economic factors, religion, power and representation, gender as well as the North-South divide in Yemen. This will be followed by the more general modules about conflict mediation and transitional justice. Having completed the aforementioned modules, you will hopefully have gained an impression of the conflict in Yemen. In the Quiz section, you can test your knowledge. If you want to see more of our experts, you can visit the Videos module and watch our expert lectures. Finally, if you want to find out more information about this project, click on the About module.

A Brief Overview over the Yemeni Conflict:
 
The Yemeni Civil war started in late 2014 and has been ongoing ever since. It is fought between the Hadi-led government and the Houthi rebels (to find out more about the actors involved, click on the module Actors and Dynamics).[1] As of March 2020, at least 7,700 civilians have died in the conflict.[2] The United Nations has described the humanitarian crisis that has accompanied the war in Yemen as “the worst in the world”. [3]

There are three mainstream explanations that try to shine a light on the causes of the conflict. The first sees it as a proxy war over regional dominance between Saudi Arabia and Iran (Iran-backed Houthi rebels vs a multinational coalition led by Saudi Arabia). The second sees it as a manifestation of religious differences between Sunnis and Shi’ites. The third explanation sees the root causes of the conflict in the North-South divide of the country and the vast socio-economic discrepancy that is a result thereof.[4] All three of these explanations will be looked at in more detail in the following modules. After having worked through this eLearning platform, it should become clear that the conflict in Yemen is enormously complex and that there is no one single explanation. Indeed, looking at the different causes, drivers and cleavages, you will find that it is a combination of all of these factors that have led to the conflict in Yemen – and that make it so very difficult to solve.

Bibliography:

[1] Orkaby, Asher, “Houthi Who?” Foreign Affairs, March 25, 2015.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2015-03-25/houthi-who
[2] “April 2020 Monthly Forecast,” Security Council Report, accessed August 28, 2021.
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2020-04/yemen-17.php
[3] “Humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world, warns UN,” UN News, accessed August 29, 2021. https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1032811
[4] Clausen, Maria-Louise, “Understanding the Crisis in Yemen: Evaluating Competing Narratives,” The International Spectator, 50:3 (2015): 16-29.